Jenna Ortega learned the hard way that artificial intelligence can be used for good and evil. In a new interview with The New York Times , the actor, 21, opened up about a disturbing online encounter she had as a teen and explains how it shaped her view of AI and inspired her to shut down her Twitter, now known as X, account. When asked what she thinks about AI, the 21-year-old didn't mince her words.
“I hate A.I., “ she said.
“I mean, here’s the thing: A.I. could be used for incredible things.
I think I saw something the other day where they were saying that artificial intelligence was able to detect breast cancer four years before it progressed. That’s beautiful. Let’s keep it to that.
” The “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” star went on to explain that she saw firsthand how people can use AI to harm or intimidate others. “Did I like being 14 and making a Twitter account because I was supposed to and seeing dirty edited content of me as a child? No. It’s terrifying.
It’s corrupt. It’s wrong,” she said. “You saw A.
I.-generated images of you as a child? Like pornographic ones?” the interviewer then asked. “Yes, of course,” Ortega replied.
The actor then explained that the first direct message she ever opened when she was 12 was an “unsolicited photo of a man’s genitals.” She said this was “just the beginning of what was to come.” Like many actors, the young star started her social media account to grow her following as she built her career.